Rim Warlord
A Rim frontier tyrant who carved a fief from a Station, a moon, or a fold-touched rock and holds it with loyal guns and old-fashioned terror.
A Rim Warlord is the end-state of Rim independence: a strongman who seized control of a settlement, a Station, or a resource node on the frontier and rules it as personal property. Some are ex-military gone rogue, some are pirate captains grown too large, some are corporate managers who stopped answering to the Nine. What they share is territorial control, a loyal inner circle, and the willingness to use violence as governance. The Confederation tolerates them because the alternative is paying to hold the Rim themselves.
The Warlord is a boss-tier encounter. They command a retinue of fighters, have access to heavier gear than any Hive criminal, and fight on ground they have fortified and mapped. They are not ideologues; they are pragmatists who know that the moment they look weak, someone in the retinue will put a slug pistol in their back.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abilities / Cha | 16 |
| Abilities / Con | 16 |
| Abilities / Dex | 14 |
| Abilities / Int | 14 |
| Abilities / Str | 16 |
| Abilities / Wis | 12 |
| Armor Class | 18 |
| Base Attack Bonus | 8 |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Flat Ac | 16 |
| Hd Count | 8 |
| Hd Sides | 10 |
| Hit Dice | 8d10+24 |
| Hit Points | 68 |
| Hp Bonus | 24 |
| Initiative | 2 |
| Languages | Trade Cant; Core Standard; one Rim dialect; enough Legion field-signals to read their comms |
| Morale | Fanatic (15); fights to the death on home turf; retreats and regroups if off-territory and below 25 HP |
| Psionics | None |
| Role Tags | Boss, Leader, Ranged, Melee |
| Saves / Fort | 10 |
| Saves / Ref | 6 |
| Saves / Will | 7 |
| Size | M |
| Skills / Athletics | 11 |
| Skills / Deception | 8 |
| Skills / Intimidation | 14 |
| Skills / Leadership | 12 |
| Skills / Notice | 10 |
| Skills / Survival | 9 |
| Skills / Tactics | 12 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Threat Rating | 6 |
| Touch Ac | 12 |
| Xp | 2400 |
| Dialogue Path | game/dialogue/npc-rim-warlord.yaml |
Notes
Full Attack: Heavy Assault Rifle +10/+10 (2d8+3 ballistic; range 120 ft; drum mag) or Power Machete melee +11 (1d8+4 slashing; vibro-edged) or Heavy slug pistol Pistol ranged +10 (1d8+2 energy; range 40 ft) or Underslung Frag +10 (3d6 ballistic; 15-ft burst, DC 16 Reflex half; 1/encounter)
Habitat: Rim stations, frontier settlements, resource moons, and fold-touched rocks the Confederation has not bothered to hold. Found in their command centre or throne-room, surrounded by the retinue, with fortified positions and escape routes pre-planned. Roll 1d6: 1-2 = Warlord holding court in the command centre (entrenched, trap-laden), 3-4 = Warlord leading a retinue patrol (aggressive, showing the flag), 5-6 = Warlord cornered in a last stand (retinue reduced, desperate, fighting for the territory).
Resistances: Reinforced tactical armour (included in AC; ablative plating absorbs the first 10 points of any single hit), Veteran composure (+4 to Will saves against fear and Intimidation; immune to normal morale pressure)
Senses: Normal human vision; tactical HUD grants low-light, thermals, and +4 to Notice vs concealed targets within 80 ft; passive Perception 18
Tactics: The Warlord leads from the front when the fight is winnable and from the back when it is not. They open with Reign of Terror to break morale, use the retinue as a screen, and save Heavy Ordnance for the chokepoint or the cluster. On home turf they use Territorial Advantage to control geometry; off-territory they fight conservatively and look for the exit. Break and Rebuild is the escape hatch -- the Warlord retreats, heals, and comes back harder.
Treasure: Heavy assault rifle with drum mag and underslung launcher (1,200 rek), power machete (600 rek), heavy slug pistol pistol (400 rek), frag and smoke grenades (75 rek each), reinforced tactical armour (800 rek), tactical HUD (1,000 rek), Warlord's signet or command-key (priceless to the territory; 500 rek to a rival), encrypted command datapad (route maps, blackmail, supply manifests; 1,000-5,000 rek to the right buyer), 8d10 rek in tribute and hazard pay.
Vulnerabilities: Paranoid succession (the Warlord knows the retinue will turn on them the moment they look weak; if reduced below 25 HP in view of the retinue, one random retinue member may defect or flee on the next round), Overextended (the Warlord's territory is always larger than their force; spreading the retinue to hold it leaves the Warlord exposed)
Attacks
Heavy Assault Rifle
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 10 |
category | ranged |
damage | 2d8+3 |
damageType | ballistic |
name | Heavy Assault Rifle |
notes | Military-grade; drum magazine, underslung grenade launcher with one frag load |
rangeFt | 120 |
Power Machete
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 11 |
category | melee |
damage | 1d8+4 |
damageType | slashing |
name | Power Machete |
notes | Vibro-edged; the Warlord's personal weapon and execution tool |
Heavy slug pistol Pistol
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 10 |
category | ranged |
damage | 1d8+2 |
damageType | energy |
name | Heavy slug pistol Pistol |
rangeFt | 40 |
Frag Grenade (Underslung)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 10 |
category | ranged |
damage | 3d6 |
damageType | ballistic |
name | Frag Grenade (Underslung) |
notes | 15-ft burst, DC 16 Reflex half; 1/encounter |
rangeFt | 60 |
Special Abilities
Warlord's Retinue
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | Warlord's Retinue |
description: The Warlord is always accompanied by 4-6 loyal fighters (use Hive Ganger or Smuggler stats with +1 to all saves and morale checks due to the Warlord's personal discipline). The retinue acts on the Warlord's initiative count. Once per encounter the Warlord can call 1d4 additional fighters as reinforcements, arriving in 1d4+2 rounds from adjacent positions. Player-visible: the Warlord never travels light; the guns are always there, and they are always watching.
Territorial Advantage
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | Territorial Advantage |
description: On their home turf (station, settlement, or resource node they control), the Warlord and all allied NPCs gain +2 to initiative, +2 to Perception checks, and the Warlord knows every exit, chokepoint, and hiding spot (auto-succeeds on DC 15 Tactics checks for positioning). Player-visible: the Warlord fights on ground they chose, and every corner is a trap they set months ago.
Reign of Terror
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard (1/encounter) |
name | Reign of Terror |
description: The Warlord makes a display of violence -- executing a prisoner, destroying property, or issuing a death threat backed by the retinue. All enemies within 40 ft must make a DC 16 Will save or take -2 to attack rolls and Will saves for 1d4 rounds (fear). On a critical success the target is Shaken for the rest of the encounter. Player-visible: the Warlord does not negotiate; the Warlord demonstrates what happens to people who negotiate.
Heavy Ordnance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard (1/encounter) |
name | Heavy Ordnance |
description: The Warlord carries one additional frag grenade and one smoke grenade. The frag: 3d6 ballistic, 15-ft burst, DC 16 Reflex half. The smoke: 20-ft cube, 1 minute, 20% miss chance. Player-visible: the Warlord has been fighting long enough to know that explosives solve most geometry problems.
Break and Rebuild
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Immediate (1/encounter) |
name | Break and Rebuild |
description: When reduced below 25 HP, the Warlord can order a full retinue withdrawal as an immediate action. All allied fighters disengage at +10 ft speed, laying suppressive fire; the Warlord retreats to a prepared fallback point (if on home turf) or to a waiting vehicle. On the next round the Warlord heals 2d8 HP from stims and re-enters the fight if the retreat was successful. Player-visible: the Warlord barks one word and the room empties; when they come back, they are angrier.